“What’s that you have?” William asked suddenly.
Dani huffed and showed it to him. “I didn’t get a real wedding,” she said, a slight coquettishness in her tone. She didn’t want to overplay it, but... “I’m hoping that we have time while we’re here, as it only runs today.”
William smiled indulgently and handed it back to her. “If you want to indulge yourself, child, be my guest. There really isn’t anything more you can do here, anyway.”
Dani felt triumph alongside a strong desire to belt the man. She was starting to understand Luke’s dislike toward him.
She rested her gaze on Marcus as he sat there quietly, watching the exchange. He smiled and shrugged. Dani whispered to him, “Loan me five bucks?” Marcus’ eyebrows shot up. He nodded.
“EXCUSE ME!”
The conversation regarding shoe stores and favorite designers had gotten well out of hand by the time William interrupted. Elaina and Maria turned simultaneously and stared, eyes hard and unfriendly. Dani shook her head as the door behind them opened and closed, an aide coming in and whispering something to him. He looked at the aide for a long moment and nodded, getting to his feet hastily. He turned back to the group. “The information I’ve been waiting for isn’t good. As I feared, it’s no longer just us looking for the stick. If I had to make a guess, I would say that the recent furor in Orlando tipped off someone to our goal.” He shot daggers at his ex, who simply smiled back at him as though he’d just announced the winner in a country fair cattle show.
“Could it be possibly that AIR FORCE ONE landed on her doorstep?” Luke said the words loudly and with more than a hint of defiance, clearly aimed at his father. “You haven’t exactly been discrete, wouldn’t you say?”
William rather pointedly ignored him. “Regardless, the local police are searching for Amanda Pinal. They’re getting a little twitchy about not getting in the house, so if you’ve all concluded the search to your satisfaction I invite you all to leave. In the meantime, Luke will join me. We need to head to the municipal airport and find out about getting a helicopter. Your services,” he turned and pointed to Marcus, “will not be required.”
“I was hoping Luke could go with me!” Dani moved in closer to Luke and took his arm. She looked at him with big eyes, and what she hoped would pass for a pout. She really wasn’t very good at this, and she wondered why in the hell they hadn’t included acting classes alongside martial arts and surveillance techniques. She took a deep breath and tried again. “There are so many decisions to make!” She even batted her eyelashes for good measure, hoping she wasn’t overselling the thing.
“Work comes first, I’m afraid.” William was sounding more and more like a pompous boor. Dani was starting to wonder how in the world Elaina had put up with him long enough to marry him. She only just kept herself from rolling her eyes, and instead pulled out all the stops on what she hoped would be an Oscar-worthy performance. So, Dani swallowed her pride and pouted, lower lip protruding and trembling just a little. She even willed her eyes to tear up a little as she walked by Luke and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t give them more than five dollars.” She paused for effect, sighed a little, and wondered how in the world actors stood it, that feeling of every eye in the place on them. She only just kept from shuddering.
Clandestine. I like work that’s clandestine. Behind the scenes.
Luke’s eyebrows shot up and he looked to Marcus.
“Luke, Edwin, stay here. I’ll make arrangements for a helicopter,” William said, lifting the ever-present phone that had to be welded to his palm by now.
“Why do I have to go?” Edwin asked. Dani shot him a look, wondering if maybe she wasn’t the only actor in the place. Her father had been a king of business, had faced down the mob, had pulled her out of a firefight only days before.
He met her glance evenly, his face betraying nothing.
Shit. This gets more and more complicated. What’s he up to?
“Because you know the code,” William snapped without looking up from his phone. “And you know the material.”
“So does she.” Elaina pointed to Maria. Dani just about screamed.
I swear, if she wasn’t Luke’s mother... I need her more than anyone here.
Calm. Be calm. You’ve got this.
“Frankly, until she tells me who she works for now, she needs to remain where I can find her.” William lifted his head and looked at Maria thoughtfully.
“No,” Dani said, speaking fast so that no one would be able to interrupt, so that no one could have so much as a second to think about what she was saying. “You said I could take her. This is my wedding we’re talking about. The real one. The one that’s supposed to matter! You will NOT...” Dani stalked toward the man, seeing his eyes widen in shock, “repeat, NOT TAKE MY WEDDING AWAY FROM ME!”
She was crying. Actually crying.
And she wasn’t acting.
Dammit.
William’s eyes widened a little, and he actually stepped back a pace. “Seeing as you feel so strongly... I mean, I don’t believe your mother is currently needed for anything either.” He darted a glance around the room at the others. “But, if she’s not where I need her, when I need her, she will miss the next twenty years of your life as well.” He shot a look at Maria, who rolled her eyes. “I’m not kidding about that.”
Take what victories you can find. Back off, now.
Dani swiped at the tears, all smiles now. “Marcus, dear,” Dani purred. “Would you mind driving us to a woman’s frou-frou gathering of wedding apparel?”
Marcus shot a glance at William. “I’d be honored. The car we rented is right outside.”
William left the house, gathering flunkies to order a helicopter and get the latest on the location of Ms. Pinal. Dani had to be careful, as he was still within earshot. She shoved the flyer into Luke’s hand and kissed his cheek, almost losing her resolve to see this through, when his arm wrapped around her, pulling her close. He smelled like heaven. Only reluctantly did she pull herself away, nodding as significantly as possible at the flyer, praying that he’d figure out what she had.
Her stomach tied itself in knots. He wasn’t good at following her train of thought. Their track record wasn’t exactly stellar.
Luke stopped Marcus as he walked by.
“Navy?” he asked. This time it sounded like a challenge.
“Royal,” Marcus said, looking pointedly at Luke’s grasp on his arm. Luke released him, and they nodded to each other.
Men.
The flyer was half crumpled in Luke’s hand, already forgotten.
Shit. We’re toast.